Ready or not, desktop search is set to gain yet another major contender next month. Ask Jeeves Inc. plans to release a desktop-search product in December, a company executive confirmed this week during an interview at the WebmasterWorld.com World Search Conference here. Desktop search has become the latest battleground among leading search players, with Google, Microsoft"s MSN division and Yahoo all working on products. But if desktop search catches on among users, it"s unclear how it would affect the webmasters and marketers vying for top rankings.
While Emeryville, Calif.-based Ask Jeeves hasn"t provided many details, its product appears likely to follow the approach of other Web search engines by combining hard-drive results, such as from e-mails and files, with its core Web results. "It"s going to be an inclusive thing, and we hope to incorporate the whole experience," said Michael Palka, director of product management at Ask Jeeves.